This weekend promises beautiful spring weather, a plethora of events and on opposite sides of town two day-long art gallery walks. In the Design District, Dallas Art Dealers Association hosts its annual spring bike swarm and gallery walk, during which visitors stop off at numerous participating spaces to see new artworks and curated shows.* Then, in Deep Ellum, the 15th Semiannual Gallery Walk features more than 15 stops throughout East Dallas, including the Continental Gin Open Studios, which offers a glimpse into the spaces of working artists.
With more than 50 spaces to choose from, and only 8 hours to visit (all the galleries will be open noon to 8 p.m.) it's going to be a long day, so we picked our top 10. Obviously these aren't necessarily the "best," just the ones that we feel we can look you in the eye and recommend. Whatever else you're doing Saturday, Shakespeare said it best, "Get thee to a gallery."
*Editor's note: Although these are billed as gallery "walks," actually walking from place to place is impossible.
Dallas Contemporary's Richard Phillips and Julian Schnabel Exhibitions If you've never been to the Dallas Contemporary, this is the exhibition to see. It's impossible to look away from the disturbingly realistic paintings of Richard Phillips, as he dissects popular culture and contemporary iconography. This is also a rare chance to see the inimitable work of Julian Schnabel, which will capture your imagination in perfectly wrong ways. Plus, Playboy Marfa is fully installed out front, seducing visitors off the street and into the art. Address: 161 Glass St. Saturday Hours: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Circuit 12 Contemporary's Constellation Logic For the solo exhibition of work by Alexander Dijulio, Circuit 12 transformed its space to feel out this world. You step through the door and onto another planet, where the artwork looks like stars and satellites. Address: 1130 Dragon St. Saturday hours: noon to 6 p.m.
Red Arrow Contemporary's Open Archive You can't miss the neon red arrow pointing you to this space on Dragon Street. The current exhibit, which may very well be the last in this space explores the intersection of performance and visual art. Thomas Riccio's photographs (image above) document his studies of ritualistic performance art across the world. You might remember our cover story about his theater work in Dallas. Address: 1130 Dragon St. Saturday hours: noon to 4 p.m.
Ware:Wolf:Haus' Trigger Warning While you're feeling brave, head over to Thor Johnson's exhibition at Ware:Wolf:Haus, which is bound to shiver your spine. His work heightens video game violence, imagining human-like bodies, with spilling entrails, pointing machine guns at one another. And while the sculpture looks rudimentary, the chilling blend of childhood and violence is a damning statement on today's hyper violent culture. Address: 425 Bedford St. Saturday hours: 6 to 10 p.m.
RE Gallery's Opening of Travis LaMothe paintings LaMothe's show Generics explores the concept of seriality in a series of paintings on flattened cardboard boxes. It considers the space where an idea meets physical manifestation. Address: 1717 Gould St. Saturday hours: 7 to 9 p.m.
RO2 Art's Animal Instinct There's a certain whimsy to TJ Griffin's work. In this series he explores cartoonish imagery to combine ancient symbolism and animalistic figures. This exhibition opens Friday, so we haven't seen it yet, but tinklings around the art world are saying this is a can't miss. Address: 110 N. Akard St. Saturday hours: noon to 5 p.m.
Kettle Art Gallery's Patterns of Passion It may sound predictable that the work of these three female painters explore "the rhythms, colors, and textures of emotion," but damned if they don't do it well. The vivid work of Dallas-based artists Corey Godfrey, Aralyn McGregor, and Judith Lea Perkins, leaps off the canvas. Address: 2650-B Main St. Saturday hours: noon to 8 p.m.
Liliana Bloch Gallery & The Public Trust This shared gallery space features two show right now, both worth seeing in their own right. Sally Warren's blends images taken on her iPhone during her travels to create abstract abstracted shapes and blurred photography. In the larger space, The Public Trust opens a new show by Matthew Mahon, in which he pays prostitutes their service fee and instead asks them to pose for photographs. Address: 2919 Commerce St. Saturday hours: noon - 8 p.m. Opening reception for Mahon's show: 6 to 9 p.m.
Beefhaus Gallery's Reach Inside to See the Stars For his solo show at Beefhaus, Randall Garrett displays new work in sculpture, sound installation and performance. His slightly chaotic art is meant to build on themes of inner space and discotheque/club ambience. Even if the art doesn't take you there, it's sure to be a hell of a lot of fun to look at. Address: 833 Exposition Ave. Saturday hours: 7 to 10 p.m.
Continental Gin Open Studios Peek inside the mind of an artist at the Open Studios this weekend. The historic Continental Gin Building houses one of the largest collections of artist studios in the city. This weekend, the artists sweep up the cobwebs and invite the general public into their spaces for open studios. Address: 3309 Elm St. Stop by 6 to 10 p.m. Friday or 2 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
